Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal is pictured before the French L1 football match between Paris Saint Germain and Reims on Oct. 20, 2012 at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

The Davis Cup, at UBC’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre Feb. 1-3, will feature top Canadian stars Milos Raonic and Daniel Nestor, as well as rising Vancouverite Vasek Pospisil.

Spain, in the absence of Nadal — who’s missed six months due to a knee injury — is expected to counter with world No. 5 David Ferrer, No. 11 Nicolas Almagro and No. 24 Fernando Verdasco. Nadal is still ranked fourth in the world.

Spain’s top-ranked doubles players are Marc Lopez and David Marrero. Lopez is sixth in the world, one spot below Nestor.

The weekend is sold out; more tickets may be available in January. The first-round tie for the World Group features the top-ranked Spaniards and the 12th-ranked Canadians. The weekend’s winner would face either Croatia or Italy in the tournament quarterfinal.

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